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Witchblade Anime
Masane Amaha/ Yasuka Ohara
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Jamie Marchi (English)
Click here to Masane when using the Witchblade.
Click here to Masane's second Witchblade form.
The current host of the Witchblade. She has a six-year-old daughter named Rihoko.
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: Masane's only 23 at the start of the series. Rihoko is six years old. That means that Masane would have been seventeen years old when she had Rihoko. Justified later in the series because she's not Rihoko's biological mother.
- Action Mom: Becomes this in the later half of the anime, primarily out of concern for Riko's safety.
- Antenna Hair: Masane has two cowlicks on the back of her head that perpetually stick up.
- Black Eyes of Crazy: Her sclera also turn black while transformed. Partially subverted in that, while Masane's violent and aggressive when using the Witchblade, she's definitely not evil; and as the show goes on, she gets a handle on her murderous impulses.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Her main weapon, an extendable blade on her right forearm. She gets a second one when in her Super Mode.
- Canon Immigrant: She makes an appearance in the original comic along with other users of the Witchblade.
- Conveniently an Orphan: In episode 14, it's revealed that Masane lived in an orphanage for seventeen years and no records of her family were ever found. Her real name is Yasuka Ohara.
- Curtains Match the Window: Masane has brown eyes to match her brown hair.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Masane may turn into a bloodthirsty killing machine with yellow eyes and black sclera, wild red hair that she can form into impaling tentacles and blades on her fingers when using the Witchblade, but a villain she most definitely is not.
- D-Cup Distress: Her huge breasts tend to cause various problems for her, especially when she has to shop for a bra. They are so big that most stores just don't have a size that fit her.
- Dude Magnet: Just ask Tozawa, Mr. Cho and Takayama.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Masane's eyes glow yellow while she is transformed.
- Heroic BSoD: After she releases Riko into Reina Soho's custody (Riko's biological mother), she loses the will to fight and refuses to get out of bed.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In episode 24, Masane sacrifices herself to destroy all of the X-Cons.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: When the social worker convinces her that giving Riko to her biological mother would be better for her, she acts coldly towards Riko in order to make easier for Riko to leave her. After Riko leaves with the social worker, she bursts into tears.
- Identity Amnesia: Masane doesn't remember anything about her life before the Great Quake. Masane Amaha isn't even her real name; it's a fake name the government assigned her after she was rescued. Even after Takayama shows her where she grew up, she still doesn't remember anything.
- In a Single Bound: Masane can jump really far and really high when transformed. This gets upgraded to Flight in her Super Mode.
- In-Series Nickname: "Melony" or "Masamune".
- Katanas Are Just Better: What her blade is modelled after.
- Legacy Character: The newest Witchblade wielder.
- Mama Bear: Masane will go through hell and high water to protect Riko.
- Manchild: At first, her daughter Rihoko acts like the adult and she acts like the child.
- Most Common Superpower: Her breasts are so large, she's referred to as "Melony" (in the English dub) or "Masamune" ("undefeatable breasts") by her friends.
- Ms. Fanservice: A busty, curvaceous woman who wears a very revealing outfit when using the Witchblade.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: While in Witchblade-mode, her outfit is open from her neck down to her waist, leaving her cleavage and midriff exposed.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: Her hair turns red when she uses the Witchblade. When she transforms into her Super Mode, her hair instead becomes white.
- Power Makes Your Hair Grow: It also gets noticeably longer when she transforms. Doubly so for her Super Mode.
- Power Makes Your Voice Deep: She tends to sound huskier and more sensual whenever she transforms.
- Punch-Clock Hero: Initially, at least, Masane only fights X-Cons in order to pay the bills.
- Second Love: To Takayama, his first being Reina.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: She wears a lovely white dress in episode 10 when Takayama forces her to attend a company award ceremony. Unfortunately, her manners remain the same.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: When her Witchblade is activated.
- Super-Toughness: Masane once took a tank shell to the chest; while it blew her across the room, she was completely unharmed and her only reaction was to smirk and laugh. She can still be harmed by Cloneblade users and powerful X-Cons, however.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Masane recognizes that all Maria wanted was a mother's love by the time she kills her, and the two embrace as Masane pities her as she dies.
- Tsundere: Type B, towards Reiji Takayama.
- The Unchosen One: She was actually never meant to have the Witchblade and her sync values with it are very poor. The Witchblade is instead using her as a sort of intermediary host while waiting to jump to its real target, Riko.
Rihoko "Riko" Amaha
Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
Riko is the only child of Masane Amaha.
- Cheerful Child: Very rarely do you see her not smiling or interacting in a cheerful manner with the other characters.
- Children Do the Housework: Her mother is an unemployed single mother and constant slacker who often wakes up late. Six-year-old Rihoko is usually seen performing domestic tasks like cleaning, washing and making breakfast.
- Happily Adopted: When Reina reveals that Riko is her daughter, she says that Masane is her real mother and doesn't want to leave her.
- The Heart: She is able to put everyone in a good mood.
- Heroic Bastard: Her biological parents are Takayama and Reina, who were never married to each other prior to her birth.
- In-Series Nickname: Her full name is actually "Rihoko", but everyone calls her "Riko".
- Living Emotional Crutch: To Masane. Her mother constantly states that Riko is her whole world, which proves true when Masane goes through a major Heroic BSoD after Reina takes custody of Riko.
- Nice Girl: She is sweet, polite, and friendly.
- Supreme Chef: She is constantly praised for her cooking skills.
- Wise Beyond Her Years: She has to be, considering her mom's not the most responsible person around.
Douji Group Industries
Douji Group Industries is a huge corporation that is headed by a board of directors and Bureau Chief Reiji Takayama. Douji's primary focus is researching and developing special weapons, such as Witchblade and the I-Weapons. They are also responsible for the presence of X-Cons that rampage through Tokyo at night. Before the Great Quake, they possessed the Witchblade. In the past, Douji Group Industries collaborated with the NSWF on researching the Witchblade. The product of this research was the Cloneblade, a copy of the original Witchblade.While Douji Group Industries and the NSWF were working together on the Witchblade, one of the NSWF's top scientists, Reina Soho, was sent to aid them in their research. However, Reina stole the Witchblade from Douji Group Industries in an attempt to gain its power. Once Reina's betrayal was discovered, both Douji Group Industries and the NSWF sent agents in to retrieve the Witchblade.
The Witchblade awoke during this time and the resulting power surge resulted in the Great Quake, a massive earthquake that devastated Tokyo and killed millions of people. After the Great Quake, Douji focused its attention on retrieving X-Cons, which were malfunctioning machines that escaped during the Great Quake.
Reiji Takayama
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Mark Stoddard (English)
Takayama is the head of the Special Section in Douji Group Industries, which manufactures weapons and researches weapons like the Witchblade. He hired Masane Amaha to dispose of X-Cons. He first appears to be a cold and ruthless man who only cares about his job, but this is not actually the case.
- Brutal Honesty: He says exactly how he feels and doesn't worry about offending or hurting anyone with his words.
- Curtains Match the Window: Has black eyes and black hair.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: A male example.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a faint diagonal scar across his right eye.
- Missing Mom: His mother died giving birth to Takayama.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: He is Riko's biological father.
- Papa Wolf: He gains a protective streak towards for his daughter Riko. In the final episode, when Riko was outside during a dangerous fight, Takayama immediately left a safe area to go and look for her.
- Parental Neglect: His father was always at work and rarely spent time with him.
- The Stoic: He rarely allows his emotions to show even when he's in danger.
- Tsundere: Type A. Initially, he acts rudely towards Masane, but later on starts to develop romantic feelings toward her.
- Uptown Guy: He's the boss of a relatively wealthy business and develops feelings for Masane, a woman who works as freelancer of sorts.
Masaya Wado
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)
A work colleague of Takayama's who works as the Director of Bio Division at Douji Group Industries. He's known Takayama since college and sees him as a hated rival.
- Hidden Depths: Apparently he has an unusually strong physical constitution that gives him the uncanny ability to hold his liquor.
- Kick the Dog: He uses his servile aide as a Sacrificial Lamb for one of his experiments.
- Pyrrhic Victory: He eventually succeeds at defeating Takayama, and forces the latter to resign. In doing so, however, he utterly destroys the company he wanted to take over in the process, with no way to recover. As Takayama says himself."The boat has sunk. You shot the hole in the bottom yourself."
- The Rival: Considers himself this to Takayama.
- Smug Snake: This is his undoing; he tries so hard to be a
Magnificent Bastard, but he keeps fucking up royally because as Badass Normal Reiji Takayama puts it, "He's always looking for shortcuts." This winds up biting him in the ass in a cruelly ironic way.
Hiroki Segawa
Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese), Christopher Bevins (English)
Takayama's right hand man who is always professional and prepared. He loves power and frequently switches sides depending on who has the most power.
- Chronic Back Stabbing Disorder: By his own admission, he frequently switches sides depending on who has the most power.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: The reason he's risen so far in the ranks.
Yuusuke Tozawa
Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English)
A freelance photographer investigating the "Pulverizer Murders", a series of murders of NSWF employees. While investigating the murders, he discovers the existence of the Witchblade and NSWF's connection to the murders.
- Curtains Match the Window: He has brown eyes to match his brown hair.
- Going for the Big Scoop: He often gets himself into trouble with the police and security because of this.
- Intrepid Reporter: He wants to find out the culprit behind the "Pulverizer Murders."
NSWF
The National Scientific Welfare Foundation is a government agency led by Tatsuoki Furumizu. Like Douji Group Industries, they are interested in the Witchblade and seek to capture Masane for research purposes. They have managed to create a working replica of the Witchblade, called the Cloneblade, and created a series of clones called "Neogenes" to wear it.Tatsuoki Furumizu
Voiced by: Shinji Ogawa (Japanese), R. Bruce Elliott (English)
Head of the NSWF and father to Neogenes.
- Big Bad: From the beginning of the series onwards, he and his organization pose the preeminent threat to Masane and her daughter, Riko. However, this is ultimately subverted given that he is later killed 5 episodes before the series finale by his "daughter" Maria, who subsequently seizes control of the NSWF.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Only Reiji's eyebrows are larger than his.
- Faux Affably Evil: Despite displaying charm and paternal warmth when interacting with the public and his "children," he is actually a very cruel and cold-hearted individual who has no regard for the well-being of those who serve him.
- In-Series Nickname: He is called "Father" by his Neogenes and the children of the city.
- It's All About Me: As a consummate narcissist he cares about no one but himself.
- Manipulative Bastard: One of the key secrets behind his personal success is the extent which he can effortlessly charm and deceive others around him without any semblance of regret. This is made most apparent by the manner in which he wields authority over his powerful but largely naïve Neogene daughters by callously exploiting their desire for parental affection.
- Narcissist: In distinct contrast from the kindly and humble persona he presents to the public, Furumizu is in reality an egocentric megalomaniac who believes that his genes embody the best humanity has to offer.
- Mommy Issues: He believes his mother is responsible for his sterility and seeks to create a new one to end his shame.
- The Stoic: Even when his plans are frustrated, he perpetually maintains a serene and calm demeanor up until the time of his death when he undergoes a rather disturbing emotional breakdown.
- Villain with Good Publicity: His charming and friendly nature is just an act.
- Villainous Breakdown: He absolutely loses his shit when Maria turns on him and is told by Nishida that his DNA is considered to be no longer suitable for producing future generation Neogenes, with Furumizu frantically ingesting his genes from broken test tubes on the floor to save them before Maria finally kills him.Tatsuoki Furumizu: What do you mean, Nishida? Why didn’t you use my genes? Tell me! Why?! It can't be! How could you? I was supposed to be born again! I need… the perfect mother! How else will my true self be born? How could you do this? No!
Reina Soho
Voiced by: Mie Sonozaki (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
Click here to Reina when using the Cloneblade.
One of the first Neogenes that Masane encounters and a top NSWF scientist.
- BFS: What her forearm blade is shaped after - along with the slab-like blades of her giant bangs.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts out emotionless at the beginning, but after she gains custody of Rihoko she starts showing emotions, including maternal feelings for her daughter.
- Foil: To Masane. Both are some maternal figure to Riko—Masane as her adoptive mother and Reina as her biological mother. Masane is constantly on the run from child welfare and is an irresponsible Womanchild, while Reina is professionally and financially prepared to care for Riko. However, Masane and Riko's bond is a natural and warm one, while Riko and Reina's starts off as distant and slow to progress.
- To Nora, her rival within the Foundation. Both are stoic, more refined Neogenes with similar abilities and temperaments. However, Reina is independent, while Nora merely follows Father's ambitions. Also, Nora is envious of Reina, and grows cocky in their one duel, while Reina thinks nothing of status and ranks - only her research.
- In-Series Nickname: "Lady."
- Lady of War: Unlike her assistant Shiori, she never loses control of her emotions in battle.
- Mama Bear: Reina will go through hell and high water to protect Riko. Whether it means killing Nora, her "sister" or from the psycho second generation Neogene Maria.
- Prehensile Hair: That she can use not only to slash and impale things, but also protect herself with by forming a shield.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She is Riko's biological mother - along with Maria's.
- The Stoic
Shiori Tsuzuki
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese), Trina Nishimura (English)
Click here to Shiori when using the Cloneblade.
Click here to Shiori's second Cloneblade form.
Reina's assistant and the second Neogene that Masane encounters.
- Attempted Rape: She was just about to do this to Takayama before her Super-Power Meltdown went critical.
- Ax-Crazy: With the possible exception of Maria, she is definitely the most violent and depraved of the Witchblade bearers.
- Blood Knight: Aside from basking in the presence of her beloved Reina, nothing gratifies Shiori more than senseless brutality and the thrill of fighting to the death.
- Deadly Upgrade: Is the only other blade wielder to upgrade her form besides Masane thanks to her poor impulse control - and she breaks down (and dies) faster because of it.
- The Dragon: To Reina.
- In-Series Nickname: "Diva".
- Interplay of Sex and Violence: Even more so than the other Witchblade bearers.
- Psycho Lesbian: She's obsessed with Reina, her employer, though the 'Psycho' aspect of this trope doesn't really come into play until she starts suffering her breakdown.
- Sanity Slippage: While she never was sane to begin with, she begins losing all semblance of sanity when the Cloneblade begins to consumer her (i.e., going so far as to slaughter people indiscriminately before having sex with their bodies and attempting to rape the object of her infatuation's former lover.
- Sinister Scimitar / Sinister Scythe: Whatever you call the shape of her giant blades.
- Stalker with a Crush: She volunteers to clean up Reina's office just for the sake of kissing her mug which has her lipstick on it. Additionally, she can't resist groping Reina's buttocks when the object of her infatuation tends to her injuries in an NWSF infirmary.
- Super-Power Meltdown: Her Cloneblade gets damaged during her first real fight with Masane and starts breaking down, turning Shiori into a vicious and uncontrollable psychopath before finally killing her in a spectacular fashion.
- White Hair, Black Heart: In Neogene form.
- Yandere
Nora
Voiced by: Saori Yumiba (Japanese), Stephanie Young (English)
Click here to Nora when using the Cloneblade.
Tatsuoki Furumizu's assistant.
- Arachnid Appearance and Attire: It's relatively subtle, but while transformed Nora's hair forms itself into long appendage like the legs of a spider.
- The Dragon: To "Father."
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How Reina kills her.
- In-Series Nickname: "Spider", and for good reason. Not only does she look a little like a spider while transformed, a lot of her attacks and tactics evoke spiders as well.
- Prehensile Hair: Her main weapon. Nora can do a lot of things with that hair of hers, such as forming it into tendrils with which to swing off obstacles or impale her opponents, and she can also fire strands of it like needles
- Wolverine Claws: She can extend her fingers into a set of really long blades.
Maria
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
A second-generation Neogene introduced about halfway through the series, deemed to be the strongest ever produced. Powerful and skilled, yet extremely unstable.
- The Ace: She’s deemed to be the strongest and most skilled Neogene ever produced, and she definitely shows it.
- Alas, Poor Villain: The last two to three episodes have Maria spiralling out of control with nothing but a desire for power while trying to figure out what it is she truly wants. After being fatally wounded by Masane, Maria is left lamenting whether or not Reina truly loved her as she crystalizes and turns to dust in the wind.
- Ax-Crazy: Holy shit, yes. Part of what makes her so dangerous is her lack of boundaries and self-control, as pointed out by Reina.
- Bad Boss: Murders her subordinate Asagi because she was basically tired of her delivering so many Armor Piercing Questions to her.
- Broken Pedestal: After killing Reina, she starts becoming disillusioned with Furumizu when she realizes that he doesn’t actually give a damn about her, eventually going on to kill him and take over the NSWF.
- Character Development: She initially starts out extremely bratty and impulsive, that is until after killing her mother and realizing her "father" doesn’t actually care about her that she reinvents herself to become more stoic and ruthless. However, she is at a loss of what it is she truly wants in life.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite everything, she still cares a lot for her subordinate, Aoi. The feeling is mutual.
- Glass Cannon: Is arguably one of, if not the most offensively armed Cloneblade besides Nora and Reina. She has twin kris-blades along her wrists, her bladed heels, her twin locks of bladed hair, and extendable claws on her fingers, and uses nearly all of them to great effect to put Masane on the back foot. Too bad her Neogene form doesn't cover much, because she goes down with a single stab to the chest.
- Idiot Hair: Has a large one that forms the fixed shape of a halo, which contradicts her less than angelic personality.
- Inbred and Evil: She’s a second-generation Neogene, which are created using the DNA of a first generation and Furumizu, meaning that her "grandfather" is also her "father". Probably isn't too good for her mental state either.
- Near-Villain Victory: On top of Tokyo Tower, Maria actually has Masane, wielder of the original Witchblade on the back foot as she unleashes her Motive Rant, before she hallucinates her mother, allowing Masane to take advantage of the opening and kill her.
- Psychopathic Manchild: She acts like an extremely bratty child who often tears up her stuffed animals and has very poor impulse control, almost killing a kid because he grabbed the toy she wanted while outside the NSWF. She tones it down after killing Reina and realizing how Furumizu actually sees her as, adopting a more mature persona. Asagi however claims that she's not fooling anyone and is only an insecure little kid trying to act tough. Somewhat justified, as it’s implied that she’s a lot younger than she appears, literally making her a child in a teenager’s body.
- Self-Made Orphan: She kills her mother Reina and then eventually her father/grandfather Furumizu.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: She switches from her initial attire to one that resembles what Reina wore after killing her, being a part of her self-reinvention.
- The Starscream: After she realizes Furumizu doesn’t actually give a damn about her, she kills him and takes over his company, although she’s more of the boss in name only.
- Stripperiffic: Oh Good Lordy. Her Cloneblade form, even by the show's standards, has her breasts laid bare and covered with some kind of body markings that run down her torso. Besides the armor on her appendages, all that's covering her up is a crotchpiece.
- Tragic Villain: While a total psychopath, she's just a kid longing for legitimate affection and some kind of purpose in her life, only to be seen as nothing more than a tool for a petty goal. At the end of the day, she’s just another victim of Furumizu's ambitions.
- Villain Override: Replaces Furumizu as the Big Bad about five episodes before the end of the series.
- Would Hurt a Child: She almost sends a young boy tumbling down a flight of stairs if not for Nora intervening because he grabbed the stuffed toy she wanted, and then later tries to murder Rihoko when she sees her with Reina.
- Yandere: She’s not too pleased seeing Reina with her other daughter, Rihoko, with Maria opting to kill her so she can have her mother all to herself.
- Younger Than They Look: She looks like a teenager, but apparently she's even younger than Rihoko, with their exchanged dialogue implying that second-generation Neogenes age faster than normal humans.
Witchblade Comics
The Witchblade
Click here to see the Witchblade when it takes a humanoid form.
The Witchblade is the offspring of the primal forces of the universe, the Darkness and the Angelus. It is male and generally chooses a female host. It is semi-organic and reacts supernaturally to threats. It is able to grant its host a variety of weapons and can heal the wearer.
- Adaptive Armor: It can become body armor and a weapon at the same time. The amount of armor that comes out of the Witchblade to protect the host will always depend on the level of threat. For example, if the host is fighting a mere mortal, there will be less armor wrapped around the host. But if the host is fighting demonic enemies, it will form more armor to protect its host.
- Balance Between Light and Darkness: It acts as a balance between the Light (The Angelus) and the Dark (The Darkness), it hosts also have to be balanced between the Light and the Dark. The Witchblade tells Katarina that it rejected her because she wasn't balanced between the Light and the Dark.
- Blood Knight: It craves battle.
- Born of Heaven and Hell: The child of The Angelus and The Darkness. Was created to act as a balance between his parents.
- Clingy Costume: No matter what their wielder does, the Witchblade will thwart any attempt of being removed, until it chooses to leave the wielder
- Empathic Weapon: The Witchblade can form many different types of weapons. It can form swords, spears, guns, shields, and wings.
- Healing Factor: The Witchblade can heal its hosts when they are injured.
- Healing Hands: The Witchblade can heal other people when they are injured.
- Hybrid Power: The Witchblade itself is a living weapon that has been used by women, and some men, over the generations. It was the offspring of the Darkness and Angelus. It has the power to create a blade, fire energy beams, wings for flight, and can cover the host in body armor most of the time. It also doesn't have any of its parents' weaknesses; the Darkness can't function in light, while the Angelus can't fight in the dark.
- Mundane Utility: Being a superstrong cosmic warrior comes in darn handy for moving furniture.
- Only the Chosen May Wield: The Witchblade will eat your arm if you're not a worthy user (or if you're a man, unless you are Ian Nottingham or Gerald Irons who have both been wielders of the Witchblade).
- Palette Swap: The Witchblade can change its color scheme, giving wielders different colored weapons.
- Photographic Memory: The Witchblade can recall any moment of its past wielders' lives.
- Yandere: Every time Sara rejects the Witchblade it tries to make Sara its host again, and if it can't have her as its host it tries to kill her.
- Yin-Yang Bomb: The Witchblade has elements of both the Darkness and Angelus, therefore acting as a balance keeper between the two.
Sara Pezzini
Click here to see Sara under the control of the Dark half of the Witchblade.
One of The current wielders of the Witchblade in the comics, Sara was a police officer for the NYPD, and was a mom on top of that. She was a Private Detective in Chicago, now a sheriff.
- Action Girl: Was already one before she gained the Witchblade, being an NYPD officer.
- Action Mom: To her daughter with Jackie, Hope.
- Ax-Crazy: When under the control of the Darkness half of the Witchblade.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Can use the Witchblade to form one sword or two swords.
- Brought Down to Badass: Without the Witchblade.
- Can't Stay Normal: Three times Sara has given up the Witchblade to live a normal life, but she is first forced to reclaim it from Ian, then she needs it to save her life after giving birth to Hope, and then she is forced to reclaim it from a serial killer who has part of the Witchblade.
- Combat Tentacles: She uses these to throw around her opponents, e.g. Gerald, Dani.
- Cool Big Sis: To Dani and eventually to her own sister Julie.
- Curtains Match the Window: Brown hair and eyes.
- Dating Catwoman: Subverted: she did date Kenneth Irons for a brief time, but that was well before they became enemies; played straight with her relationships with Ian and Jackie.
- Dark Is Evil: Played straight in between "First Born" and "War of the Witchblades," where Sara reclaims half of the Witchblade from Dani after Hope is born. Only it's the half that is the Darkness-lite, and it starts to drive her literally crazy, leading to the aforementioned war.
- The Dragon: In "War of the Witchblades" she serves as Tau'ma's dragon.
- Dragon-in-Chief: In "War of the Witchblades" she is a greater threat than Tau'ma who is a Non-Action Big Bad.
- Drunk on the Dark Side: While wielding the Dark-half of the Witchblade.
- Dual Wielding: Sometimes wields two swords create by the Witchblade.
- Empathic Weapon: The Witchblade.
- Empowered Badass Normal: She's already a pretty competent police officer, but getting the Witchblade definitely gave her more of a boost.
- Evil Weapon: The Dark half of the Witchblade.
- Fair Cop: Until she resigns in issue 150.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Sara is the responsible sibling to Julie's foolish sibling. Sara is a cop while Julie has gotten into trouble, and has even gone to jail for dealing drugs.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Sara's eyes glow red while she is controlled by the Dark half of the Witchblade.
- Healing Factor: The Witchblade heals her when she is injured.
- Healing Hands: The Witchblade can heal other people when they are injured.
- Heroic Host: For the Witchblade.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Found herself on the receiving end of the Witchblade's power when Ian attacks her with it.
- Horned Humanoid: When Sara battles with Dani on the bridge the Witchblade gives her horns.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: All Sara wants to be is an ordinary police officer.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Done by Sabine stabbing Sara with her spear.
- In a Single Bound: Sara can jump far and really high when using the Witchblade.
- Innate Night Vision: The Dark half of the Witchblade gives her infrared vision by forming a mask over her eyes, which gives her Five Eyes.
- Legacy Character: The latest Witchblade wielder.
- Mama Bear: Mess with Hope and she will hunt you down.
- Modesty Towel: At the start of issue 121 of Witchblade Sara has a shower, after which she answers the phone in a towel, holding the phone in one hand, running her other hand through her hair and uses the Witchblade, a cosmic artifact of nigh-limitless power, to hold up her towel.
- Ms. Fanservice: Sara is without a doubt a very beautiful woman that often gets heads to turn. The Witchblade would sometimes rip off her clothes to form a Chainmail Bikini, showing off more skin to sometimes leaving her naked. Her most iconic outfit is the red leather dress from the very first issue, which was very sexy and form fitting. She was a poster girl for Ms. Fanservice of comics for many years.
- Offing the Offspring: At the end of the old universe in order to restore the universe she tried to kill Hope but was stopped by Jackie, leading him to create a new universe in which she isn't Hope's mother. When she finds this out in the new universe from Jackie's doppelganger telling her this she suffers from a Heroic BSoD and goes catatonic.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: While under the complete control of the Dark half of the Witchblade her hair turns red.
- Power Gives You Wings: The Dark half of Witchblade gives her the ability to create red bat wings for flight.
- Power Makes Your Hair Grow: While under the complete control of the Dark half of the Witchblade her hair grows long.
- Private Detective: After quitting the police force she was a Private Detective.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: While under the complete control of the Dark half of the Witchblade.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: It means Sara is under the control of the Dark half of the Witchblade.
- Sadistic Choice: In issue 150 Sara is forced to choose between being a cop and losing the Witchblade or keeping the Witchblade and leaving the police force. Sara chooses to leave the police force.
- Statuesque Stunner
- Taking the Bullet: In Witchblade issue 1 she leaps into the path of the bullets in order to project her parter Michael Yee; however both she and Michael are mortally wounded and Sara only survies by bonding with the Witchblade and becoming its host.
- Unwitting Pawn: In "War of the Witchblades" she is being manipulated by Tau'ma.
- Villainous Breakdown: Loses it in "War of the Witchblades" when the Angelus appears.
- Wall Crawl: Uses the Witchblade to climb up walls.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: She slowly goes insane while under the influence of the Dark-half of the Witchblade.
- Wolverine Claws: She can extend her fingers into a set of really long blades when she has the Witchblade.
Alex Underwood
The current wielder of the Witchblade in the 2017 comic. Former war correspondent now works for Witness Aid Services for the New York Assistant District Attorney's Office (after seeing her childhood friend/crush die in Afghanistan). Gains the Witchblade after she's shot by a Dirty Cop she was investigating.
- Combat Tentacles: Par for the course with the Witchblade. Interestingly enough, this time, they look more like energy than the solid metal constructs from Sara's time.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Even before she gained the Witchblade, she was already trained in Krav Maga.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Starts out not wanting to be the Witchblade's wielder, and is pretty reluctant to accept its powers.
- Intrepid Reporter: Used to be one. Even now working for witness aid, she still can't shake off her old habits.
- Legacy Character: The latest wielder of the Witchblade.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Suffers from PTSD from her time as a reported in Afghanistan, where the convoy she was embedded in was ambushed, resulting in the death of her childhood friend Johnny.
- Whip Sword: How she uses the Witchblade the first time she really takes control of it.
Danielle Baptiste
Click here to see Dani as wielder of the Angelus.
Danielle Baptiste is the daughter of Police Captain Peyroux and Gus Baptiste. She is a classically trained ballerina whose life is turned upside down upon meeting Sara Pezzini, wielder of the Witchblade. She also wielded the power of the Angelus.
- Ballet: In the old universe she was a ballet dancer, and her teacher even asks her to teach some ballet classes.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Can use the Witchblade to form one sword or two swords.
- Brought Down to Badass: Without the Witchblade or the Angelus.
- Empathic Weapon: The Witchblade
- Empowered Badass Normal: When she had the Witchblade and when she was the Angelus.
- Fair Cop: In the new universe she is a police officer for the NYPD.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Found herself on the receiving end of the Witchblade's power when Sara attacked her with it.
- Horned Humanoid: As the Angelus host she has horns on her head.
- Hot Teacher
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Sara impaled Dani with one of Sara's Blade Below the Shoulder.
- Legacy Character: For a while until she becomes the new Angelus.
- Light 'em Up: As the Angelus she has the power of light.
- Light Is Good: First as the wielder of the light half of the Witchblade, then as the Angelus.
- Power Gives You Wings: The Light half of Witchblade gives her the ability to create blue dragonfly wings for flight and the Angelus gives her the ability to fly with angel wings.
- Put on a Bus: After War of the Witchblades she and Finch leave New York for New Orleans.
- Teacher/Student Romance: While Dani is teaching ballet she dates Finch, one of the girls in her class.
Michael Yee
Michael Yee was Sara Pezzini's partner before she got the Witchblade.
- Back from the Dead: Brought back from the dead by Sara and the Witchblade but he Came Back Wrong.
- Came Back Wrong: His soul came back but his body was still dead.
- Death Seeker: After being brought back wrong.
- Fair Cop: He was a police officer for the NYPD.
- Killed Off for Real: Twice.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He died in the same issue in which he first appeared.
Joe Siry
Sara's former captain when she served at the 18th Precinct. He was the partner of Sara and Julie's dead father, Detective Vincent Pezzini, whom he killed to protect Sara from Irons.
- Da Chief: Sara's former superior officer when she worked at the 18th Precinct.
- Parental Substitute: He is Sara's father figure.
Jake McCarthy
Jake McCarthy is a former partner to Sara Pezzini.
- Demonic Possession: He was possessed by a demon's spirit and is taken as the demon's vessel.
- Driven to Suicide: After he is taken as the demon's vessel. Sara battles him and the evil spirit and weakens them. Jake temporarily regains his senses and kills himself to prevent being taken as a host again.
- Hopeless Suitor: Was in love with Sara.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: He knows about the Witchblade but Sara doesn't know he knows—or so he believes.
Kenneth Irons
The incredibly wealthy CEO of Irons Industries, and very long lived. His ultimate obsession is trying to find and own the Witchblade, and he doesn't care who or what stands in his way.
- Badass Normal: As a member of The Knights Templar.
- Big Bad
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He made a lot of his money through drug trafficking, prostitution, slavery, and the arms industry.
- Dating Catwoman: Subverted—he did date Sara for a brief time, but that was well before they became enemies.
- Disney Villain Death: He falls off a building; however, this is subverted as he survives the fall.
- Empowered Badass Normal
- Fiction 500: He is loaded.
- Really 700 Years Old: He's eight hundred years old. Doesn't look out of his thirties or forties.
Gerald Irons
The son of Kenneth Irons, and very long lived. His ultimate obsession is trying to find and own the Witchblade, and he doesn't care who or what stands in his way.
- Badass Normal: As a member of The Knights Templar.
- Dating Catwoman: Subverted—he did date Dani for a brief time, but that was before they became enemies.
- Disney Villain Death: He falls off a church; however this is subverted he survives the fall badly injured and is arrested by Sara.
- Empathic Weapon: He steals Dani's half of the Witchblade.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He's already a pretty competent warrior, but getting the Witchblade definitely gave him more of a boost, enough to kill his old enemy Sir Renaud de Gaudin.
- Fiction 500: He is loaded.
- Generation Xerox: Is just like his father.
- Light Is Not Good: While wielding Dani's light half of the Witchblade.
- Really 700 Years Old: He's eight hundred years old. Doesn't look it.
- You Killed My Father: He wants revenge on Sara for his father's death.
Ian Nottingham
Irons's right-hand man.
- An Ice Person: While the bearer of The Glacier Stone he has a body made of ice.
- Blood Magic: The power of The Blood Sword.
- The Bus Came Back: He came back after escaping jail with the help of Aphrodite IV.
- Cool Sword: The Blood Sword.
- Disney Villain Death: He falls off a building; however this is subverted as he survives the fall.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He's already a pretty competent warrior, but getting the Witchblade definitely gave him more of a boost, as well as getting the Witchblade and the Darkness at the same time. Later he was empowered by The Blood Sword, then by The Blood Sword and The Glacier Stone.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Has been on the receving end of the Witchblade's power when Sara used it on him.
- Put on a Bus: Sara arrested Ian and sent him to jail.
- Villainous Crush: On Sara.
Tora No Shi
Tora No Shi is an assassin for hire and former bodyguard of Kenneth Irons.
- Back from the Dead: Sonataine brought him back to life.
- Character Death: Twice.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He is magically enhanced by Sonataine.
- Red Baron: Tiger of Death.
Julie Pezzini
Julie Pezzini is the younger sister of Sara Pezzini, wielder of the Witchblade. She was a model and seems to love everything about living in the fast lane, not taking the time to stop and smell the roses. She originally had a really bad habit of breaking into Sara's apartment and freeloading whenever she came into town. Her lifestyle sometimes brought her into conflict with the wrong people.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: She had a habit of breaking into Sara's apartment and freeloading whenever she came into town.
- Back from the Dead: In the new universe she never died.
- The Bus Came Back: She came back after serving her jail sentence and getting cleared up.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Sara is the responsible sibling to Julie's foolish sibling. Sara is a cop while Julie has gotten into serious trouble, and has even gone to jail for dealings drugs.
- Killed Off for Real: She's killed by Aphrodite IV.
- Put on a Bus: Jake was eventually forced to arrest Julie for drug trafficking, sending her to jail.
- Secret-Keeper: Unlike her sister, Julie knew that Joe Siry killed Sara and Julie's father, Detective Vincent Pezzini, in order to protect Sara from Irons. She also knows about the Witchblade.
- The Teetotaler: After a stint in prison she stopped drinking alcohol.
Patience/The Magdalena
Patience is the latest in the line of women known as the Magdalena, wielders of The Spear of Destiny who are descended from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, and once-holy protectors of the Catholic Church.
- An Ice Person: While the bearer of The Glacier Stone she has a body made of ice.
- Church Militant
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Has been on the receving end of The Spear of Destiny when Sister Anneli attacks her with it.
- Legacy Character: The Spear of Destiny and the holy power of the Magdalena is passed from mother to daughter.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: The Glacier Stone turns her hair icy green.
- The Spear of Destiny: She is the wielder of the Spear Of Destiny.
- Stripperiffic: She deserves special mention. She's the distant granddaughter of Christ and Mary Magdalene, and is raised and commanded by the Catholic Church itself. She used to dress like this.
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The Curator/The Survivor
Click here to see massive spoiler The Survivor.
An old man who maintains an antique and curio shop in Manhattan.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Jackie tears him to pieces and then displays the parts in the Curator/the Survivor's shop window.
- Gory Discretion Shot: His death.
- In the Hood: As the Survivor.
- Killed Off for Real: By Jackie in the new universe.
- Last of His Kind: He is the last survivor of his entire universe, or so he claims. However, he calls Tau'ma brother, so he might not be.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: If he gives a straight answer then things have gone very bad. Lampshaded by Patrick Gleason in "War Of The Witchblades".
- Sole Survivor: Of his entire universe.
- Time Abyss: He is the last surviving person from his entire universe.
- Walking Spoiler
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: His goal is to destroy the current universe and recreate the universe he is from.
Sabine
Click here to see Sabine as bearer of the Wheel of Shadows.
Sabine was a lieutenant of the Angelus Warriors. Hoping to be the next Angelus, she became the wielder of Wheel of Shadows instead.
- Big Bad: Of the Angelus Mini-series.
- Dark Is Evil; While having the Wheel of Shadows.
- The Dragon: The former second-in-command of the Angelus Warriors.
- Dragon Ascendant: Leads Angelus Warriors when the Angelus is hostless.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Wants the Angelus force for herself.
- Flash Step: The Wheel of Shadows gives her this power.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: As an Angelus Warrior, she has a neckline that plunges to her navel.
- Time Master: The Wheel of Shadows allow her to control time, though not travel back in time.
Aphrodite IV
The fourth in a series of human-like androids, Aphrodite IV is an assassin who (almost) never misses a target.
- Artificial Human: She is an android.
- Badass Transplant: The Coin of Solomon was placed within Aphrodite IV's chest.
- Enemy Mine: Worked with Sara to capture a scientist. Aphrodite IV then betrays Sara and kills the scientist.
- Legacy Character: She is the fourth in a series of Aphrodite androids and the latest bearer of one of the thirteen Artifacts called The Coin of Solomon.
- Send in the Clones: The Survivor created an army of mass-produced Aphrodite IVs.
Finch
Finch and Dani
Click here to see Finch as bearer of The Angelus.
Finch is a dancer at the school Dani Baptiste taught at in New York. Finch later becomes Dani's roommate and has expressed romantic feelings for her.
- Ballet: She's a ballet dancer.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Can use the Witchblade to form one sword or two swords.
- Horned Humanoid: As the Angelus host she has horns on her head.
- Legacy Character: She is the new Angelus.
- Light Is Good: As the Angelus.
- Light The Way: As the Angelus she has the power of light.
- Only One Name: Finch is her only name.
- Power Gives You Wings: The Angelus gives her the ability to fly with angel wings.
- Put on a Bus: After War of the Witchblades she and Dani leave New York for New Orleans.
- Teacher/Student Romance: While Finch is taking ballet classess she dates Dani, the teacher of her class.
Tau'ma
An old mysterious figure, he is the Curator's brother and knows a lot about the artifacts. Unlike his brother who wants to keep the balance intact, Tau'ma is on the side of Darkness and had manipulated Sara Pezzini in the War of the Witchblades.
- Big Bad: Of the "War of the Witchblades".
- Hidden Agenda Villain: His goal hasn't yet been revealed.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When Sara regains control of herself, Tau'ma, seeing all the forces are against him, escapes.
- Manipulative Bastard: Manipulates Sara into fighting Dani.
- Mind over Matter: Has telekinesis, which he uses to demonstrate his power by telekinetically picking up his staff.
- More than Mind Control: Uses it on Sara to get her on his side.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Because he is a Squishy Wizard.
- Squishy Wizard: Can perform magic and summon demons but has no skill in physical combat.
- Summon Magic: Can summon demons out of his head, possibly because of the tattoo placed there.
- Villain Teleportation: He can transmute himself into a ball of light, which also gives him power of flight.
Katarina Godliffe
Click here to see Katarina as bearer of The Witchblade in 1175.
A former wielder of the Witchblade in medieval times (from 1175 to 1178). Worked with Medieval Spawn to fight against Lord Cardinale. She was from York in North Yorkshire in North East England, now a sheriff in the Faerie realm and one of the current wielders of the Witchblade in the comics.
- The Alcoholic: Like her father James Godliffe.
- Badass Cape: In medieval times she wore a brown cape with a hood.
- Badass Normal: Without the Witchblade.
- Bar Brawl: Gets into these quite at bit. After one of them she had to clean out a dung heap to pay a debt to Stalker (it was either that or sleep with Stalker) and she found the Witchblade in the dung heap. During a Bar Brawl in 1178 the Witchblade abandoned her.
- Blood Knight: She likes getting in fights.
- Brought Down to Badass: Without the Witchblade she is a badass warrior.
- Chainmail Bikini: The Witchblade appears as one when she wielded it.
- Child Soldiers: From age 12 she was a member of a Lord Marigold's army because of a debt her father James Godliffe owned Lord Marigold. She left the army when her father died becuse his death cleared the debt.
- Dirty Cop: She took bribes from Toio Mulranny.
- Drowning My Sorrows: What she did before meeting Sara.
- Early-Bird Cameo: First appeared as a picture in Kenneth Irons collection of pictures of Witchblade wielders, then appeared in the Medieval Spawn/Witchblade mini-series before becoming a character in the Witchblade comics.
- Empathic Weapon: The Witchblade, like all wielders, which later rejected her. However, at the end of part two of Absolute Corruption she once again wields part of the Witchblade.
- Empowered Badass Normal: She's already a pretty competent warrior, but getting the Witchblade definitely gave her more of a boost.
- Face–Heel Turn: She becomes a Corrupt Sheriff.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: A result of living in the Faerie realm for 900 years. For example, when someone mentions Nicki Minaj, she thinks Nicki Minaj is the Queen of America, and she doesn't know how to work a moblie phone.
- Grail in the Garbage: Found the Witchblade in a dung heap.
- Heel–Face Turn: She was a Corrupt Sheriff but after meeting Sara she decided to stop taking bribes from Toio Mulranny and do her job.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Has been on the receving end of the Witchblade's power when Sara used it on her.
- In-Series Nickname: She is called Kat by Stalker.
- Legacy Character: A former wielder of the Witchblade from 1175 to 1178. At the end of part two of Absolute Corruption she once again wields part of the Witchblade.
- Load-Bearing Hero: Holds up a pillar so Sara can go back through the portal.
- Meaningful Echo: "I'm going to get Medieval on your ass."
- Navel-Deep Neckline: While wearing her corset, whose opening goes all the way down to her navel.
- No Immortal Inertia: When Katarina dies she crumbles into dust.
- Only in It for the Money: She and Stalker only go to save the Faerie realm in order to loot it; however when they return from the Faerie realm all of the Faerie gold has turn into lead.
- Oop North: She is from York in North Yorkshire in North East England.
- Power Fist: Uses a Steampunk gauntlet as a replacement for the Witchblade.
- Really 700 Years Old: She's nine hundred. She lives in the Faerie realm, where time flows differently, allowing her to live to the present day.
- The Sheriff: Of the city of Bel-Gadryel.
- The Smurfette Principle: In Lord Marigold's army she was the only woman.
- Stripperiffic: In medieval times.
- Unscrupulous Hero: She is selfish, but has saved the world and the Faerie realm.
- Woman Scorned: Didn't take kindly to being rejected by the Witchblade.
- Wolverine Claws: She can extend her fingers into a set of really long blades when she has the Witchblade.
Witchblade Live Action
Sara Pezzini
Played by: Yancy Butler
The current holder of the Witchblade and a NYC police detective.
- Action Girl: Extremely tough even without the Witchblade, and a One-Woman Army with it.
- Cowboy Cop: Though she doesn't bend the law too much, she's definitely going by her own morals first and foremost, and she isn't shy about arguing with her colleagues and superiors.
- Fair Cop: Looks very good in a uniform, on the rare occasions we see her wearing one.
- Spider-Sense: The Witchblade sometimes gives her this.
- Weirdness Magnet: Her coworkers point out that she gets a lot of weird cases.
Kenneth Irons
Played by: Anthony Cistaro
The CEO of Vorschlag Industries. He covets the Witchblade.
- Bad Samaritan: He is more than happy to assist Sara if he thinks it will help him achieve his goal of controlling the Witchblade.
- Back from the Dead: He's trying to achieve this during most of season 2.
- Big Bad: The ultimate villain for both seasons, and is either implied or outright shown to be connected to most of the minor villains.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Head of Vorschlag Industries, with his fingers in all sorts of dirty business.
- Really 700 Years Old: While it's not clear how old he really is, he's certainly managed to live a lot longer than he's had any business doing by exploiting the time-warping powers inherent in the preserved blood of the last Witchblade wielder.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Has a rich head of snow-white hair and is an utter bastard.
- Wicked Cultured: He's well-dressed, articulate and capable of quoting diverse works of literature, all while being utterly selfish and ruthless.
Ian Nottingham
Played by: Eric Etebari
Irons's right-hand man.
- Anti-Villain: He's torn between his Undying Loyalty to Irons and his Villainous Crush on Sara, meaning that it's never obvious whether he's going to be "good" or "bad" in a given situation.
- Beard of Evil: Has a scruffy full beard that might or might not qualify as this, fittingly for an Ambiguously Evil character. The clone of him that turns up towards the end of Season 1 has a definitely sinister-looking goatee and is, accordingly, completely evil.
- The Dragon: Provides muscle and absolute loyalty to Irons.
- Servile Snarker: On occasion.
- The Starscream: Not Nottingham proper, who is so loyal to Irons that he intentionally gets himself killed when cast out by him. The clone Irons replaces him with, however, ultimately turns on Irons and kills him.
- The Stoic: He rarely shows much emotion.
- Villainous Crush: On Sara.
Danny Woo
Played by: Will Yun Lee
Sara Pezzini's partner, who dies in the first episode.
- Back from the Dead: Thanks to the time reversal in the season 1 finale.
- Buried Alive: In season 2. He's rescued by Sara.
- Dead Person Conversation: With Sara, thanks to the Witchblade.
Jake McCartey
Played by: David Chokachi
A rookie cop, and Sara Pezzini's partner following Danny's death. He is actually an undercover federal agent.
- Fair Cop: He's got the boyish good looks to go with his rookie status.
- The Mole: Infiltrated the White Bulls.
